APPROPRIATED PRESS - “I thought it was a
prank,” confessed Paige Turner, director of circulation at
the Crystal Lake Public Library. The estate of Mr. Finneus T.
Fishbottom contacted the library in December asking a
representative to be present at the reading of the will.
“Don’t quote me on this, but Mr. Fishbottom was a
generous patron of the library so we naturally assumed he left us a
parting gift. No one suspected anything like this.”
Instead of a check, the executor of the will, Mr. Reed Moore,
handed over a locked steel box. What wasn’t provided: a
combination, instructions, or any indication of what might be
inside.
“At this point, it’s anyone’s guess,”
says Ms. Turner who recently contacted the local media for
assistance in opening the box. “Of course, we may eventually
have to cut it open--or at least have it x-rayed--but first we
would appreciate any help the public can offer.” Patrons are
invited to inspect the mystery box located between the copy machine
and the conference room in the northeast corner of the first floor.
“We’ve exhausted all the obvious solutions. We need
novel ideas and out-of-the-box thinking.”
Finneus Fishbottom (1912-2009) was heir to the StarKist fortune
and was a close personal friend of fellow philanthropist Ima Hogg. His list of
charitable contributions could fill a book, but suffice it to say
anyone who would call Mr. Fishbottom stingy would be truly
spineless. Some have compared his considerable, and partially
missing, wealth to that of early Crystal Lake resident
Charles Sidney Dole.
“It just burns me up that I can’t figure it out
– I’ve tried about 451 different combinations on that
lock,” admits library patron Johnny Gutenberg. “Those
numbers and letters on top of the box must be a clue.”
The library hours are as follows:
Mon-Thurs 9am-9pm
Fri & Sat 9am-5pm
Sundays 1pm-5pm
*Closed on holidays
*Closed Sundays June-August
*Closed until Noon the 1st
Friday of every month
Also in the news:
Mr. Dewey has retired.
Thirsty for more knowledge?
Try here.
If
you trade for an iron-on this will come in handy.